Project-Blu Midnight Express, by M. Enois Duarte

Midnight Express

By: M. Enois Duarte, 7.14.2009

The Movie Itself:
Young adults that travel to other countries and try to return with a stash of the best stuff money could buy is really nothing new. It seems to be a common occurrence. Caught with the illegal drugs in an attempt to smuggle them into the U.S. seems to happen just as frequently. In fact, it happens so often that a television series ('Locked Up Abroad') was created, featuring mostly stories of people arrested in foreign countries for possession and receiving lengthy prison sentences. One of the most popular, and even famous, stories about being locked up abroad took place in the early seventies, when a young man became the unfortunate fall guy to a country's firm intolerance on such crimes. Its film adaptation, Midnight Express, continues to enjoy a much celebrated cult following about the survival of the human spirit.

Only moments away from boarding an airplane back to America, Billy Hayes (Brad Davis) has the misfortune of being caught in Turkey with a hashish stash tapped to his body. With the Turkish government trying to crack down on drugs, terrorism, and other crimes, things are not looking well for the young American student. At first, he's sentenced to four years for drug possession, and during that time makes some unlikely friendships with other Westerners: Max (John Hurt), Jimmy Booth (Randy Quaid), and Erich (Norbert Weisser). But only two months away from completing his time, the prosecution's appeal with the higher courts to make an example of him increase his sentence to 30 years for smuggling.

Pleas from his family, litigations from his attorney, and even actions by the U.S. Embassy are to no avail, as Billy struggles with the consequences of his decisions. What was supposed to a fun vacation trip while out of school has now turned into a living hell, where bribery, violence and insanity are the normal daily patterns of this world. A place where children are kept separate from the rest of the prison by a rusty chain link fence. Forced to witness and endure unbearable physical and mental cruelty from the prison guards and surrounded by informers, Billy finally reaches the breaking point of sanity and sent to a detention center for the mentally unstable. Knowing that he's on his own, he risks everything and tries to ride the "Midnight Express".

Culturally, Midnight Express has been at the forefront of much controversy, depicting a young man clearly committing a crime that would warrant a hefty jail sentence even in the U.S. But as the story continues, we are expected to sympathize with his plight and eventually applaud his compulsion to escape. While not at the top of the list of many discussions concerning the film, the topic has been brought up before as a manipulative attempt to evade the protagonist's obvious criminality. Although based on the book of the same name by the real life Hayes and William Hoffer, the adaptation is a serious departure from its source, where Billy's stoic reaction is understood as bravely accepting his punishment. (In the film, he is seen hysterically yelling and calling the judges pigs.) Later, Billy's brutal fight with a prison informant never took place, and the ending is a drastic alteration of his actual and less spectacular escape.

The entire topic is easily dismissed, however, as necessary changes for artistic intent and to make the transition into film more dramatically appealing. And as much as that point is valid, Midnight Express's most controversial aspect remains the center of much contention. To this day, many people, if not all, of Turkish nationality find offense in the film's negative portrayal of their people and their prison system. Both Billy Hayes and Brad Davis have gone on record to show great regret for how the film depicts police officials and prison guards as soulless brutes. Marking his first Academy Award for adapting the book, Oliver Stone also publicly apologized for the film when he visited Turkey in 2004. Along with Lawrence of Arabia, Midnight Express is still viewed as a film that incites an unfavorable representation of Turkish authority and the people of that nation.

Stylistically, the film is a harrowing narrative about a young man's fight to retain his sanity amidst a social order of depravity. Seen strictly as a prison drama, Billy's ordeals with horrifying scenes of torture make for an intense state of uneasiness and suspense, thanks to Stone's excellent writing talent. The prison warden Hamidou (Paul L. Smith), with his fierce expressions and fiery eyes, is still one of the most terrifying villains on screen. Brad Davis's portrayal of Hayes is truly memorable. His struggles and misery are as convincingly conveyed through his facial expressions as through his words. With Quaid and Hurt rounding out the cast, the film contains superb performances and creates a credible environment of men lost in hopelessness.

Alan Parker's direction is equally splendid and magnificent, as we move from gorgeous vista shots of mosques against a Turkish evening to the color-drained plaintiveness of the hellish prison. Some of the most apprehensive and fearful scenes come from the Turkish people speaking their native tongue with no subtitles to accompany the conversations. It's an intentional choice to convey not only a sense of reality, but to also produce a state of nervous alarm, intimating Hayes's own worried concern. Michael Seresin's photography produces a nightmarish quality to the story, while Giorgio Moroder's award-winning score perfectly reflects the distressing drama.

Despite its controversial depiction of Turkish people, Midnight Express went on to win two Academy Awards and nominated for four others, including Best Director and Best Picture. Since its release, the film continues to garner interest from a strong cult following that has seeped itself into our cultural consciousness. Anywhere from The Simpsons to the main theme score being used on Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, the film refuses to be forgotten.
Rating: 9/10

The Presentation:
Considering its 30-year age, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has done a terrific job in making Midnight Express look its absolute best on Blu-ray. The AVC-encoded transfer, framed in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, displays greatly improved resolution with more clarity and detail than its standard definition counterpart. Even it doesn't compare to more recent HD releases, the picture quality presented here is faithful to its source, wonderfully replicating Michael Seresin's nightmarish photography.

Complexions appear more natural and lifelike than before, with facial defects and pores much more noticeable. The color palette is deliberately restrained with drab secondary hues in abundance, generating a grave and solemn tone which complements the narrative. A thinly layered grain structure remains intact and consistent, giving the picture an admirable film-like appearance. Fine object and textural details are clearly perceptible throughout. From the cracks and potholes in the stones that make up the prison walls and cells to the outfits and other articles of clothing, the picture maintains plenty of visible details. Contrast and brightness are just above average, which would be expected from film of this vintage, but it never falters from that intended look and creates some decent dimensionality. Of course, there is the occasional flat and soft-focus image, which again, is intentional for intimating Billy Hayes's experience as almost dream-like. Unfortunately, low-lit sequences suffer somewhat with poor shadow delineation. In the end, though, Midnight Express is a nicely improved upgrade on Blu-ray.
Rating: 7.6/10

Not only does Sony provide the classic film with a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack, but they also include the original mono track for fans. As a purist, I'm pleasantly surprised by the lossless mix, as it shows no signs of tampering or faux surround effects. Naturally, the track is limited by its sound design, with a majority of the action reproduced by the center channel. The occasional ambient effect spreads into the other channels or can be heard off-screen for some convincing imaging. As a film driven primarily by character interaction, dialogue is clear and distinct, with only once or twice sounding slightly muddled. Dynamic range actually does quite well, delivering clean, well-defined sound. And Giorgio Moroder's score fills the soundstage with quiet, subtle effect and feeling spaciously wide. Even with the lack of low bass, this higher resolution track does a terrific job at recreating the film's original sound elements.
Rating: 6.8/10

Overall Presentation: 7/10

** 9 - 10 = Reference / 8 = Excellent / 7 = Good /
6 = Satisfactory / 5 = Average / 4 & under = Below Average **

The Extras:
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases this Blu-ray edition of Midnight Express as an elegant deluxe package that includes a 32-page photo and essay booklet from director Alan Parker's own personal journal. Supplements are presented as a mix of HD and standard definition, and the disc arrives BD-Live Enabled.

Audio Commentary
Alan Parker rides solo on this unapologetic track that covers the typical bases, but also offers some thoughts of his own on the film's themes and criticisms.
The Producers (HD, 26 min)
The first segment of a three-part featurette, the doc interviews the producers about how production finally came together and their thoughts about the film's international impact.
The Production (HD, 25 min)
The next segment is another collection of interviews, only this time with cast and crew discussing about the production, the story, performances, and shooting locations.
The Finished Film (HD, 24 min)
The final segment of the series again features interviews with the same people, but now talking over the post-production process as well as the controversies surrounding the film.
The Making of Midnight Express (SD, 8 min)
The original EPK is also included here with interviews of the cast and crew and some behind-the-scenes clips.
Photo Gallery (HD, 13 min)
This is a serious of photographs taken during the film's production.
Trailers (HD)
This collection of previews includes trailers for the upcoming releases Obsessed and A River Runs Through It.

Rating: 7/10

Final Thoughts:
Despite its controversy, Midnight Express remains a powerful film about the human spirit and its will to survive. With terrific direction and exceptional performances by the cast, the film carries an intense air of authenticity, but dearly dampened by an awfully negative portrayal of Turkish people. The video presentation holds up well for a film of this age and the audio is a fairly faithful reproduction of the original recording elements. Arriving with a very nice supplemental package, this Blu-ray edition of the classic prison drama makes it a definite buy for fans and a must-see for everyone else.
Rating: 8/10